The PechaKucha format — 20 slides presented in 20 seconds each — gives each of the eight to 16 presenters only six minutes and 40 seconds of time. That keeps presentations concise and the interest level up while providing entertainment for the audience.

The deadline for submitting an application to present is Feb. 15. For more information or to get a sense of the event, check out past PechaKucha Night C-U presentations on its YouTube channel or visit http://www.pecha-kucha.org[2].

PechaKucha, which has spread to 248 cities worldwide, was conceived in Japan by Klein Dytham Architecture in 2003. Champaign-Urbana was the 217th city to receive the official "handshake" from PechaKucha, and one of the first cities of its size to do so.

PechaKucha C-U Volume 9 is sponsored by the Champaign-Urbana Design Organization and the Krannert Art Museum.